Strand-winding machine



Aug. 29, 1939. w. A. BELITS I STRAND-WINDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 19, 1939 INVENTOR w ,4. BEL/TS AT TORNEV Patented Aug.;29, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,171,119 STRAND-WINDING MACHINE William A. Belits, Dumont, N. J., assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y a corporation of New York Application January 19, 1939, Serial No. 251,748

4 Claims.

This machine relates to machines for winding strand material about a core which is closed upon itself and more particularly for winding wire upon a toroidal type core to produce electric coils of the toroidal type.

In machines of this type it is necessary that the strand material or wire to be wound on the core be stored on. a device which may pass through the annular space enclosed by the core in order'that the strand may be properly wound. It is also necessary that some means be provided to maintain tension at all times between the wire applied to the core and that being fed from the storage device.

Heretofore many machines have been proposed for accomplishing such purposes with varying degrees of success. ject a toroidal coil winding machine which is of simple construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of this invention is a coil winding machine in which the wire is maintained under a substantially uniform tension during the winding process.

5 .A further object is a machine in which when the stored strand has been exhausted a new supply can be put in the storage device by merely removing a narrow strip of metal and winding a new supply on to the storage compartment.

To accomplish these objects the device comprises a split grooved ring in which the wire to be wound is stored in the groove. A thin flexible band fits over the groove and the wire is fed out between this band and one edge of the groove. 5 The ring is supported on its inner periphery by a plurality of pulleys one of which is adapted to drive the ring frictionally.

. The invention with its objects and features will be understood from the following description and the attached drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side perspective of the machine showing the essential parts, and in dotted lines a core which is to be wound;

Fig. 2 is an exploded side perspective showing the essential parts in more detail;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of the split grooved ring showing how the strand material is stored and fed out by sliding between the flexible band and one edge of the groove; and

Fig. 4 is a view showing a core clamped in position for winding.

For the purposes of description and illustration, a machine has been chosen which is adapted This invention has as an ob-- on the ring.

for winding a wire about a toroidal core usually of magnetic material to produce an electrical coil. The machine is mounted on a base I which may be of metal, wood or similar material of sumcient weight to give stability to the machine. An electric motor 2 is attached to the base by screws or bolts (not shown) in any well-known or desirable manner.

Motor 2' drives pulley 3 through a, gear train or other mechanism enclosed in housing 4. Pulley 3 is mounted on extension 5 of housing 4 which is in turn fixed to the base. Two idler pulleys 6 and I are also mounted on extension 5. Pulleys 3, 6 and 1 are grooved to receive split ring 8, the groove of pulley 3 being faced with a friction material to aid in driving the ring.

Ring 8 is split at 9 and is made of a material, preferably steel, of such character that the ends of the ring at the split may be moved apart by a small force and upon the release of the force the two ends will return to their abutting'position. The ring is provided with a groove in which wire III is wound before being applied to the core.

A flexible steel band II is adapted to fit over the groove in ring 8. This band is provided near its ends with undercut blocks l2 and I3 over which spring clamp I4 is placed to hold the ends of the band together and maintain it in position Studs l5 are provided at several places around the ring and these studs penetrate holes It in the band to further insure the retention of the band on the ring.

A cover plate H is attached to extension 5 by means of a screw 29 or other suitable means. The diameter of this plate is such that the plate will cover pulleys 3, 6. and l and the plate is provided near its center with a. disc 28 of suificient thickness to maintain the plate just out of contact with the pulleys and ring 8 when it is assembled. Plate I1 and extension 5 of housing 4 have cut-out portions as shown to accommodate the core.

A flexible band l8 is provided to act as a tensioning device for the wire as it is being wound. This band It is attached to an adjustable upright rod 19 which in turn is supported by standard 20 adjustably mounted on base I.

A clamp comprising jaws 2| and 22 is adapted to hold the core about which the wire is to be wound. Bolts 23 and 24 are adapted in a wellknown manner to move jaws 2| and 22 to hold the core. The clamp is supported by a T-shaped piece 25 which is vertically adjustably attached to standard 26. Standard 26 is pivotally mounted on base I by means of bolt 21 so that it may be turned to accommodate the winding of the wire on the core.

To wind a coil, the band I l is removed from the ring 8 by slipping oil clamping piece I. The ring is then spread at the split and removed from the machine. The core is then placed in jaws 2| and 22 and fastened therein by bolts 23 and 24. Ring 8 is then passed through the core and over the pulleys after which the ends are allowed to abut. The motor is then run and the wire wound in the groove of the ring. After suflicient wire is wound in the groove the flexible band is replaced over studs l and the ends clipped together leaving one end of the wire extending between the flexible band and one edge of the groove. Enough wire is then drawn from the groove to attach it to the core and the machine started. The wire leaves the groove of ring 8 by slipping out between the band II and one edge of the groove.

Assume that to wind the coil, ring 8 is turned in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. As the wire is drawn up through the core more wire is withdrawn than is required for making the turn on the core. When the point where the wire leaves the ring reaches a position diametrically opposite the core the maximum amount of wire for the revolution of the ring has been withdrawn.

As the ring continues its movement slack wire results. If no means were provided to take care of this slack the wire would probably be broken when the slack was taken up on the next revolution of the ring. To avoid this breakage flexible band I8 is provided and this band is adjusted to press against plate I1 so that the wire is drawn between band I8 and plate ll thereby maintaining tension on the wire. When the wire passes from between band I 8 and plate I! there is insufficient slack to cause a sudden snap with resultant breakage.

After the wire originally stored in the groove of ring' 8 is exhausted it is unnecessary to dismantle the machine to provide additional wire. Band I I is removed and a new supply of wire is wound on the ring.

It is desired to point out that whereas in general it is desirable to run the ring in one direction to store the wire on the ring and to runit in the opposite direction to wind the wire on the core,

pecially when the core is to be wound with a certain number of turns in one direction and then a certain number of turns in the opposite direction. With the machine of this invention this can be done merely by reversing the direction of rota tion of the driving motor or any equivalent method. such as gear shifting.

To accommodate different sizes of wire, bands ll of slightly different diameters or lengths may be used. For heavy thick wire more clearance is required between the band II and the edge of the ring groove 8 and hence a longer band than for light or thin wire. Black enameled wire of No. 42 gauge has been successfully wound by this machine.

While the machine has been described as to its structure and manner of operation as winding wire on a magnetic material core, it is not to be confined thereto but only as limited by the appended clalms.

What is claimed is:

1. A winding machine for winding strand material around a closed core which comprises a split grooved ring substantially semicircular in crosssection and means to rotate said ring, characterized in a flexible band which fits over said ring substantially covering the groove.

2. A winding machine in accordance with claim 1, characterized in a driving pulley which contacts the inner periphery of said ring, and further characterized in a plurality of idler pulleys which also contact the inner periphery of said ring to support it. 1

3. A winding machine for winding strand material around closed cores comprising a grooved ring, a plurality of pulleys supporting said ring, one of which pulleys is adapted to drive said ring, a plate covering the space enclosed by said ring, and a piece of resilient material pressed against said plate.

4. A winding machine for winding strand material around a closed core which comprises a split grooved ring, a removable flexible band over the groove in said ring, a plurality of pulleys supporting said ring on the inner periphery thereof, one of said pulleys adapted to drive said ring frictionally, a plate enclosing said pulleys and covering most of the space enclosed by said ring, the periphery of said plate having a reentrant portion and a resilient member in contact with said plate from its center portion to the edge of said reentrant portion.

WILLIAM A. BELITS. 

